Northeast Regional Office CLEAN WATER PROGRAM a Application Type Renewal Application No. PA0064220 NPDES PERMIT FACT SHEET Facility Type Municipal INDIVIDUAL SEWAGE APS ID 612850 Major / Minor Minor Authorization ID 1323455 a Applicant and Facility Information a Twin County Joint Municipal Applicant Name Twin County Joint Municipal Authority Facility Name Authority WWTP Applicant Address PO Box 636 Facility Address 309 Mahanoy Street Nuremberg, PA 18241-0636 Nuremburg, PA 18241 Applicant Contact William Lescowitch Facility Contact Eddie Gregory Applicant Phone (570) 384-0774 Facility Phone (570) 708-2151 Client ID 191934 Site ID 601544 Ch 94 Load Status Not Overloaded Municipality North Union Township Connection Status - County Schuylkill Date Application Received August 11, 2020 EPA Waived? Yes Date Application Accepted September 21, 2020 If No, Reason - Purpose of Application Renewal of an existing NPDES permit to discharge up to 0.130 MGD of treated sewage. a Summary of Review The applicant is requesting renewal of NPDES Permit No. PA0064220 to authorize a discharge of 0.130 MGD of treated sewage from a minor sewage treatment plant into Tomhicken Creek (CWF, MF) in State Water Plan Watershed 05-E. Tomhicken Creek does not have an existing use classification. The 2020 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report lists Tomhicken Creek at the outfall as ‘Attaining’ for Aquatic Life. A few hundred feet upstream of the outfall, Tomhicken Creek is Impaired for Aquatic Life (Source: AMD, Cause: pH). The discharge is not expected to affect public water supplies. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report for Catawissa Creek Watershed was approved by EPA on April 9, 2003, and it states all stream impairments are a result of acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines. The TMDL addresses the following metals associated with AMD: Aluminum, Iron and Manganese; and low pH. This TMDL does not assign point source waste load allocations to any sewage treatment facilities and this discharge is not expected to contribute to the AMD impairment. In 2019, the annual average flow was 0.055 MGD. The highest monthly average flow in 2019 occurred in April, when the facility discharged 0.074 MGD. Influent is screened and diverted to one of two parallel treatment trains, which each consist of a modified SBR, a holding tank, and an ultraviolet disinfection unit. After disinfection, effluent flows by gravity and discharges into Tomhicken Creek approximately 1 mile from the facility. The outfall location was briefly investigated. The permittee and their engineer confirmed that the facility discharges to Tomhicken Creek approximately 1 mile from the facility, rather than to Raccoon Creek which is adjacent to the facility. Approve Deny Signatures Date X Joseph Cherinko (signed) Joseph Cherinko, P.E. / Environmental Engineering Specialist April 30, 2021 X Amy M. Bellanca (signed) Amy M. Bellanca, P.E. / Environmental Engineer Manager 5-4-21 NPDES Permit Fact Sheet NPDES Permit No. PA0064220 Twin County Joint Municipal Authority WWTP Summary of Review A Point of First Use study was conducted by the Department on February 24, 2021. No discharge pipes into Raccoon Creek were apparent. The outfall into Tomhicken Creek is not believed to be visible, but ‘bubbling’ on the surface of the stream was observed which was believed to indicate a discharge from the facility. The study concluded that the outfall location contains an established macroinvertebrate community best described as ‘fair’, the stream is perennial, and water quality should be maintained according to applicable regulations. All existing monitoring frequencies conform to Table 6-3 of DEP’s Technical Guidance for the Development and Specification of Effluent Limitations; they remain unchanged. WQM 7.0 v1.1 was used to determine limits for Ammonia-Nitrogen, CBOD5, and Dissolved Oxygen. The modeling results support retaining the existing limits. The Department’s Toxic Management Spreadsheet v1.3 was used to determine monitoring requirements for toxic parameters. Monitoring for Total Copper and Total Zinc is added to the permit. Sampling shall be performed weekly, as set forth in Table 6-3 of DEP’s Technical Guidance for the Development and Specification of Effluent Limitations. Annual monitoring for E. Coli has been added to the permit in accordance with the Department’s Establishing Effluent Limitations for Individual Sewage Permits. Language pertaining to Solids Management for Non-Lagoon Treatment Systems has been added to Part C of the permit. The WMS query ‘Open Violations by Client Report’ was performed; the applicant has 2 open violations. These open violations were detailed in an NOV issued to the permittee on December 7, 2020. Violation #911235 concerns a weekly average CBOD5 exceedance in July 2018. Violation ID Violation NPDES – Failure to submit an individual permit application at least 911234 180 days prior to commencing a discharge. 911235 NPDES – Violation of effluent limits in Part A of permit. The NPDES permit expired on January 31, 2021. The renewal application was due by August 4, 2020; it was received late on August 11, 2020. An administrative extension letter was issued on February 4, 2021. Sludge use and disposal description and location(s): Sludge disposed at the Greater Hazleton Joint Sewer Authority WWTP. Public Participation DEP will publish notice of the receipt of the NPDES permit application and a tentative decision to issue the individual NPDES permit in the Pennsylvania Bulletin in accordance with 25 Pa. Code § 92a.82. Upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, DEP will accept written comments from interested persons for a 30-day period (which may be extended for one additional 15- day period at DEP’s discretion), which will be considered in making a final decision on the application. Any person may request or petition for a public hearing with respect to the application. A public hearing may be held if DEP determines that there is significant public interest in holding a hearing. If a hearing is held, notice of the hearing will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin at least 30 days prior to the hearing and in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the geographical area of the discharge. 2 NPDES Permit Fact Sheet NPDES Permit No. PA0064220 Twin County Joint Municipal Authority WWTP Discharge, Receiving Waters and Water Supply Information Outfall No. 001 Design Flow (MGD) .130 Latitude 40º 55' 32" Longitude -76º 10' 30" Quad Name Nuremburg Quad Code 1136 Wastewater Description: Sewage Effluent Receiving Waters Tomhicken Creek (CWF, MF) Stream Code 27567 NHD Com ID 65641291 RMI 3.45 2 2 Drainage Area 16.7 mi Yield (cfs/mi ) 0.165 Q7-10 Flow (cfs) 2.75 Q7-10 Basis USGS StreamStats Elevation (ft) ~910’ Slope (ft/ft) - Watershed No. 5-E Chapter 93 Class. CWF, MF Existing Use Existing Use Qualifier - Exceptions to Use - Exceptions to Criteria - Assessment Status Attaining Cause(s) of Impairment - Source(s) of Impairment - TMDL Status Final Name Catawissa Creek Background/Ambient Data Data Source pH (SU) 6.9 POFU Study (Field Visit on 2/24/21, Memorialized on 4/2/21). Temperature (°F) 40 ‘’ Hardness (mg/L) 47 ‘’ Other: See POFU Study ‘’ Changes Since Last Permit Issuance: - Other Comments: Refer to ‘Point of First Use’ study for sampling results of ~40 water quality parameters. 3 NPDES Permit Fact Sheet NPDES Permit No. PA0064220 Twin County Joint Municipal Authority WWTP Treatment Facility Summary a Treatment Facility Name: Twin County Joint Municipal Authority WQM Permit No. Issuance Date 5403401 May 8, 2003 0043044 UNK a Degree of Avg Annual Waste Type Treatment Process Type Disinfection Flow (MGD) Sewage Secondary Modified SBR Ultraviolet 0.055 (2019) a a Hydraulic Capacity Organic Capacity Biosolids (MGD) (lbs/day) Load Status Biosolids Treatment Use/Disposal 0.130 230 Not Overloaded Aerated Holding Tank Hauled to GHJSA Changes Since Last Permit Issuance: - Other Comments: - 4 .